


a day off .

by SnowGhost



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-02
Updated: 2013-08-02
Packaged: 2017-12-22 05:53:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/909699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowGhost/pseuds/SnowGhost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beverly Katz gets a day off a week after the big arrest. She tries to make the best of the day to focus on herself and get some shopping done, but a chance encounter with Alana and visit from Hannibal prove to reinforce the guilt she feels for helping put away her good friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a day off .

            By the time the eight am alarm starts blaring and vibrating, Beverly is no longer in bed. She's standing in the shower and has been for the past few minutes now, dazed. Her eyes are fixated on a lone broken tile in front of her. She said she'd fix it, but she's never gotten to it. Something about this broken tile, however seems to intrigue her. It's the only broken tile she has in her bathroom. Among rows of teal green tiles lining together with silver shower handles and a detachable showerhead with multiple spray options, one broken tile. She's always wondered how it was possible to get broken considering where it's placed. She used to ask herself that question everyday when she showered, mostly out of jest. When she used to date, and the two would take showers together, they'd always quip about the lone broken tile as if it was some fantasy story they'd made up. Those days are long gone, but the jokes remained and the jokes seemed to lose impact and all that was left was this tile and she'd fix if she could but she doesn't have the energy to. Not now. Not for a while. She turns the water off and steps out. The walls of the shower dripping with drops of water. Rows and rows of teal green and one lone broken tile.

            Morning clothes are a t-shirt and panties. Living alone offers properties and luxuries that one isn't used to when living with someone else. Beverly revels in that. It's one of the few things that make her happy these days. The smell of coffee brewing, the springs of a toaster loading in bread, the sound of music pumping from her iPod ( _Cherry-coloured Funk_ by Cocteau Twins was _the_ song for her). She's relaxed, away from the broken tile and far away from the sterile and clinical lab. Not that it bothered her being in the lab, in fact she actually liked it. It was Jack who recommended the day off after seeing her seeming sluggish one night. "Everyone's been on edge lately and I need you to be on your A game. Take a day off, and I want you back here refreshed. It's been a long week." It was compassionate. Beverly thought it was weird. Jack, while being a nice guy, never seemed like the compassionate type. She surmised that he wasn't the only who was having a hard time with putting away a good friend. _Cherry-coloured Funk_ has now changed to _Our Way to Fall_ by Yo La Tengo. The springs of the toaster shoot up golden brown toast, the coffee finishing brewing.

***

            Driving is always a good experience to have. Feeling the car, getting a sense of how it, and being able to maneuver around in it is something that Bev prides herself on. It also is just nice to be able to go through the drive-thru at two in the morning. She's blasting pop music on the radio, her eyes focused on the road but her head bobbing around the lush synth sounds. She manages to let out a yell. _SO LA DA DI DA DI WE LIKE TO PARTY!_ The line itself makes her laugh as she pulls into the parking garage of the shopping centre, a favourite of hers. She once took Will here once to find him some good clothes for a date he was planning. "Will, you need to get some new clothes. I like the look you have but you have to consider that you might want to impress, you know?" Will would always sigh. But he'd always have a good time. At least she thought. The first date turned sour but there were funny stories they'd share together about it over drinks.

            She manages to find a parking spot in the back which is a surprise to her because she's used to having to park in the _far_ back. Despite this, after the lush and maximalist sounds of pop, there's a creeping and nagging feeling. She turns the car off. Shields are down. Seeing dead bodies was nothing to her. Walking alone in a parking garage was another thing. Doing it during the day was one thing, a challenge she'd accept albeit hesitantly. Doing it at night was no longer a challenge, it was a threat. Handling a gun is easy because there's only so few outcomes. Dead bodies can't harm you. She steps out the car, the breeze hitting her face. She walks towards the sounds of people, her eyes fixated. _Just follow the sound, just follow the sound, just follow the sound._ Suddenly she's across the mall and surrounded by people. Challenged accepted. Challenge won. Good game. Rematch?

            Alana and Beverly hung out once. Only once. It wasn't as awkward as people who hear the story imagine. Beverly knew Will had a thing for Alana. Alana knew Beverly is good friends with Will. Will didn't know Beverly had a thing for him once. Alana did. It was awkward for everyone involved. Despite this, the two are kind to each other. They just never seem to hang out often.

            "How are you Bev?" It's familiar. Beverly turns around to see Alana, wearing sunglasses, a white jacket with a snake patterned blouse and black skirt. She looks good compared to Bev's tweed jacket, faded mega man t-shirt and acid wash jeans. "Alana! I'm fine. How are you doing?"

            "I'm doing okay. I'm doing okay," It sounds practiced. She didn't blame her. "Just getting some shopping done. I see you're doing the same?" Beverly looks down at the H&M and Gamestop bags in her hand, almost forgetting that she bought something. "Ah... Yeah. Decided to treat myself."

"You play video games?"

            "Yeah, it's a hobby of mine." Hesitation. There was always two reactions to answering that question. It was either _oh that's pretty cool_ or _I bet it's some casual shit, fake._ "Oh? That's interesting." There's a brief pause, as if she's unsure. "What did you buy?" Her question seems awkward. _She_ seems awkward. "Um. Fallout New Vegas. You heard of it?" She shakes her head. "It's one of those shooting games right?"

            Alana and Beverly are sitting at the food court, munching on some food, laughing. "...So then he goes, 'The dogs are weird. They sometimes fight playfully, but there's always one that's just watching, as if he's the referee. It happens every Sunday night. They might be organizing fight clubs without me knowing.'" Their laughter gets louder amongst a loud mall. Beverly wipes a tear from her eye as she bites into her slice of pizza. "That's good. He's a funny guy isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is. He is."

            The two of them sit in silence for a moment and as Beverly looks around the mall to avoid making eye contact, she notices a man in a plaid shirt and brown pants. The hair is scruffy. Scruffy enough to be _him_ but logic dictates that it would be impossible for it to be him. Alana sips on her drink, finishing it and looks at her watch. She knows what she'll say. Beverly beats her to it. "Well I should get going. It was nice seeing you again." Alana is almost surprised, either because she was going to say the same thing, or because she said it first. "Yeah, it was nice seeing you too. We should hang out more often, you know?"

            "Sure." They shake hands and Beverly walks away, waving, smiling. She knows they'll never hang out. It wasn't a question, it was more of a sad emphasis that they wouldn't. It felt too weird. Too soon. Maybe. As she headed back to her car, she didn't think about the challenge, she just thought about Will. What he must be thinking. _What he'll do if he gets out. Would he blame me?_ She managed to get in her car, her thoughts rushing. She turns the key, the car comes alive. Shields are up. Ready for launch.

***

            When Bev arrives home, she notices a man standing by her door. He turns to look at the car pulling in. She gets out the car. "I'm sorry, who are you?" The man takes a couple steps towards her. He's well dressed in a grey suit. His hair is perfectly combed. His smile is endearing. "My apologies," his accent penetrates the space between them. "I'm a friend of Will's. I'm Dr. Hannibal Lecter, I worked with Will and Jack." Beverly had only one encounter with the man during a case but the two never really spoke outside of that. "Ah yes. Nice to meet you. Beverly." She extends her hand to his, he accepts. She notices a bag in his hand. "What's in the bag?" Hannibal smiles. "I visited Will in prison and he spoke highly of you. I decided to give you a visit and bring some food. A nice gesture for a friend of a friend." Beverly lets her guard down. _Never had that happened. I guess he's a really good guy. Jack does swear by him._ "Ah thank you. Would you like to come inside? I wouldn't want to send you off so soon."

            He stands in the living room area, looking at the pictures littering the room. Beverly feels almost anxious. He's too fancy to want to be in a place like this . "Sorry if it's messy, I've been busy with things." Hannibal walks around, examining the room. The typical pictures of family, friends and lovers. On the far left, a picture of Will and Beverly at what appears to be a club. Will's eyes are fluttered, Beverly looking at Will. Their smiles are big.  "A mess is nothing to be ashamed about. There are far worse things out there to ashamed of."

           Beverly walks back into the room, moving some magazines off the chair. "Please sit, I don't want you to stand. We can eat in here." He sits down, placing the tubs of food on the glass table, sliding one over to Beverly. The smell is delicious. "This smells wonderful doctor, what is this?"

            He pops the top off his tub, allowing the full smell to fill the room. "Chicken marinated with a red wine and soy sauce and fried, steamed fried rice and a side of mixed greens."

            She was impressed. "A very casual dish for someone quite like yourself, no?" She took a bite into the chicken, the taste was better than the smell.

             "Well, even professionals have their days off." He grins as he bites into his food.

            "So Will spoke about me to you?" If it wasn't for the fact she was stuffing herself with delicious food, she would have time to blush at the fact.

            "Oh yes," wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Your name came up in conversations of friends he has. You can imagine the list being rather short."

            "I always imagined him to think of me more of a co-worker than friend. I'm glad he thinks that of me."

            " As you'd imagine, Will is picky about the people who associates himself with. His condition isolates him from proper connection, and yet he still manages to make that connection, with you, Jack, Alana, myself."

            Beverly puts the fork down. "Doctor, I've got to ask you. I know the evidence is there, I was the one that helped put it together. Do you think... I mean..." She can't bring herself to say it. She knows even for her, it's just not something she wants to accept.

            "The evidence all leads to the conclusion, but we choose to believe what we want." He takes another bite.

            "And what do you believe?" Her voice eager for an answer.

            "I believe Will is a good man, a good friend, and despite that I believed he may have killed, although involuntarily as the studies have shown." It's not what she wanted to hear, but it's better than hearing him say yes.

***

            "Thank you for having me Beverly. It has been a pleasure." He shook her hand, smiling. "Always a pleasure to meet a friend of Will's. They always seem to make the puzzle more interesting." Beverly smiled back, unsure how to take that comment.

            "A pleasure. If there's any chance I can have more of your cooking, that'd be wonderful." His smile appears, incredibly humbled by the compliment.

             "I'll have you for dinner one day. I'm sure it'll be a most wonderful time." Hannibal leaves the home, closing the door behind him. Beverly plopped back down on the couch, unsure of what to do or where to go next. It was getting late, she had done a lot more than she had expected to.

            She reaches for her video game that she purchased, and walks over to the PS3. She kneels down before noticing something in the reflection of the television. A figure, a man.

            She freezes, unsure. She assesses the situation. _I could lunge at him. I could grab the gun from under the table. I could run out the door._ Instead she turns around to see the figure is Will, dressed in his prison outfit. There's blood on his shirt... and mouth. He seems gentle, calm, _harmless._  The sight was disturbing and unnerved her. It wasn't right. Something about this wasn't right.

            "Where is he?" Beverly stands up. "Will... what are you doing here?"

            He steps towards her. "You... you think I killed her. You all think I do."

            Bev steps away from him. "Will, I'm your friend. Remember? It's me... Bev." She gives a nervous laugh. "He won't kill me. I'm his friend. Hannibal said so," she thought. "He wouldn't kill me. It's not my fault." Her options of attack slowly disappeared. Beverly felt attacking him wouldn't be right. She wouldn't attack her innocent friend. She would embrace him, help him, clean him off. "Will...?"

            " _You put me away Bev. What friend helps put their friend in prison? You think I'm crazy don't you? You think I killed Abigail. You're no friend. You're no friend. You're no friend..."_

Bev closes her eyes. _This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real._ When she opens her eyes, Will is gone. She rushes to the kitchen, heading to the backdoor, but the door is closed. She rushes outside. She's looking for the signs of a person. Footprints, anything out of place. But everything is exactly as it should be. Bev closes her eyes, breathing deeply. _Stress-guilt related hallucinations. That's all it was. You're okay._

            The street lights are on outside as Beverly plops down on her couch in her jacket and shorts. It's comfy and cosy and makes her feel isolated in all the good ways. Times like these, she wishes someone was there to share it with though. Maybe a nice girl or guy who could cuddle her, pet her long black hair. But it always turned out that that person was never around when she needed them most. She was used to the loneliness of it all. She just hopes one day she'll find someone. She felt she found that in Will. Maybe not.

***

            The digital clock says midnight. The day is over. The day is, for all intents and purposes, won. Although to her, it doesn't feel like a victory. The sound of a piano is heard throughout the home. It's _Yoko Kanno_ 's Green Bird playing from her iPod on her bedside table.  The song calms her down.  She lies down in bed, staring at the ceiling, her lamp still on. Her bed is big enough to fit in two (or more) people and yet she's really only had one person in her bed. The soft piano keys twinkling away. It calms her down exponentially. Beverly closes her eyes. _It's not your fault. You were doing your job. Now sleep. Sleep._ The song is over, the silence fills the room.  _He's innocent. Now sleep._

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first fan fiction posted to this site and I want to thank and give a shout out to IAS for giving an invite and helping edit this piece. 
> 
> It's meant to be a very slow, introspective piece and truth be told, you may find it boring but what some find boring, I find interesting. So there's that. 
> 
> Here's to hoping I write and post more fan fictions here. Cheers and again, enjoy. 
> 
> -SG


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